Reversing-gear for engines



(No Model.)

P. W. RANDALL.

REVERSING GEAR FOR ENGINES.

No. 270,842. Patented Jan. 16.1883.

w. w W I N. PETERS. Plmlo-Lilhogmphcn Washingicn. D. C.

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS W. RANDALL, OF TEKONSHA, MICHIGAN.

REVERSlNG-GEAR FOR ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 270,842, dated January16, 1883.

Application filed September 23, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS W. RANDALL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Tekonsha, county of Calhoun,State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Reversing-Gear forSteam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to effect certain improvements inreverse-gears to facilitate their operation.

A further object is to control the stroke of the pitman with the samelever which operates the reverse-gear.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure lis a sideview, looking from line 1 1 in Fig. 2, the shaft at this point being insection; Fig. 2, a top view with portions at the right broken away. Fig.3.shows a modification in the construction of the reversing-lever; Figs.4, 5, and 6, broken or detached parts, hereinafter described.

R is the main crank-shaft, with which the connecting-rod f of the engineis connected. The connecting-rod is hereshown broken, with the end forlocating in the cylinder left out.

F is the crank-shaft for operating the valve, located horizontally andparallel with the main shaft R; S, valve-rod, which in an engine extendsinto the steam-chest. The ends of shafts R F farthest removed from thecrank-disks A and I are provided with gear-wheels D B. P is a pin-wheelmeshing with said gear-wheels. This pin-wheel is pivoted to a slide, or:10, which is movably located on rods e e in a manner to be raised orlowered. The vertical rise and fall of slide ac w is limited by stops 0e, which are set at given points on the rod bya set-screw.

a is a double lever in the form of a bellcrank, pivoted to a support, H,with its upper arm pivotally connected with slide as in a lengthenedslot, m, Fig. 4. This slot m prevents any cramping of parts during theoperation, as lever a describes the arc of a circle, while slide a: 00moves vertically. Rod t connects lever a with hand-lever L, Fig. 1. Said.hand-leveris. hinged .to bracket h, Fig.6.

The crank-pin o of the valve-shaft is set at an angle with shaft F, andvalve-rod S is laterally movable thereon by means of a perforatedball-joint, a, said joint permitting the bearing to accommodate itselfto any position in which the pin '0 may assume during the revolution ofthe valve-shaft. Rod 11 con- :nects the valve-rod S with bell-crank c c,and

rod 1' connects said bell-crank with hand-lever pin-wheel I. Themovement of the pin-wheeldescribes the fractional part of a circle; butas the teeth of the gear-wheels D B are made long and the movement isslight there is no liability of any disengagement of said gears with thepin-wheel.

In the operation, by raising pin-wheel P by means of lever L andconnections the relative position of the gear-wheels D and B is changed,which also changes the position of the pin upon which the valve-rod isattached, thereby moving the valve to any predetermined position, or farenough to reverse the engine. The same movement of lever L throws thevalverod S to a dili'erent location on the oblique crank-pin o, 2,shortening orlengthening the throw of the valve, as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Themovable slide provided with the pinwheel, the double pivotedlever, thehand-lever, and connecting-rods, in combination with the valve-rod andpiston-shafts provided with the gear-wheels.

2. The pitman and piston shafts provided with the gear-wheels, and theslide bearing the pin-wheel, in combination with the postsupportsprovided with the stops for limiting the movement of said slide,substantially as specified:

3. In a steam-engine, the slotted hand-lever, in combination with thevalve-rod located on the oblique crank-pin in a manner to movelaterally'i-the movable pin-wheel, and connecting means, allsubstantially as specified and shown, whereby the gear is reversed andthe throw of the. valve is controlled by one lever and at the same time.

FRANCIS W. RANDALL.

Witnesses:

FRANK O. Gums, ARTHUR A. DAVIS.

